A Pastor in The Northwest

Over the last few weeks, I've been pondering this statement that is found in Paul's letter to the Romans. He speaks of God's kindness and severity when it comes to faith and trust.  Here's the passage (Romans 11:21-23): For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. So, God is looking for humans who will trust Him and, even if they are not of Jewish descent, they will be fully welcome and 'grafted in' to His family of faith. Those who reject and refuse to trust in Messiah Jesus lose their connection to God's family. We're confronted, in this text, with both God's great kindness and His judgement. Can both be tru...

I read this 2 sentence part of 1 Chronicles 4 today, and wow - so many questions... 9 There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. 10 He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.   Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (1 Ch 4:9–10).  So, let us run this down: Jabez's birth is a great pain to his mother. Hmm. YET, he was more honorable than his brothers (details???). He was known (?) for praying this prayer to Yahweh, which, broken down, is to the effect of "Hey Lord, make my life all up and to the right and eliminate any discomfort," right?" OK, hmmm. Selfish? Ambitious? Ridiculous? Sure, yet what does the text tell us?  And God GRANTED him his request! I don't know about...

This past weekend, Jackie and I and my family were blessed to host some great old friends from Tennessee. During our time living in Tennessee for some 8 years, we connected with Mike and Amy and many other couples in our small church in Antioch, Tennessee. Even though the visit was short, we were able to catch up on the last 20 years of life, share meals, laugh, and pray. Mike and Amy are still at the church where we first connected, and they celebrated 30 years of ministry there. We chatted about ministry, our families, the current state of the world, and all the changes in the past 2 decades. When we said goodbye Sunday afternoon, we felt like we had never missed a beat with Mike and Amy. By the way, they loved the weather, the Pinot Noir, the beach, the fresh seafood, and of course, those obnoxious Newport sea lions! They also loved meeting many of you in our 10:30am service and sharing the fried chicken after! This weekend reminded me of a great kingdom truth: when we are in Chris...

Good question.  I have more... Is it always religious per se?  Is it always about asking or begging God to do something for us? Does it always have to end with an 'amen'? Do we need to have the right words or phrases for God to hear and answer us the way we hope? Does God do anything after we pray? Does God hear us? And on and on we could go, right?  Lord have mercy on our questions! I enjoyed an article on the topic of prayer recently from the folks at Renew.org, and the article concluded with this: "According to Scripture, prayer is an important but not-so-structured part of our relationship with God. We do not have to end with amen. We do not have to close our eyes. It does not have to be a spiritual leader to pray for us. We do not have to use fancy language. Anyone can pray at any time, in any place, for anything. God will listen. The most important thing is to remember why we are praying and to make sure our minds and hearts are prepared before we approach God with ...

I found one of my first textbooks today that was part of my freshman year of Bible college back in 1991.  I remember the class vividly as old Dr. Beckman, with his crooked fingers, schooled us all in the Scriptural attributes of God. I highlighted and took notes as fast as I could and couldn't get enough!  That text and Dr. Beckman gave me a greater understanding of who God really is, and it deepened my love for learning and growing in my faith. Those first few lessons taught many key attributes of Almighty God, which included: God is ONE (in threefold personality) God is SPIRIT God is OMNIscient God is OMNIpotent God is OMNIpresent God is JUST God is HOLY God is GOOD God is ETERNAL God is UNCHANGEABLE God is CREATOR But, my favorite is this attribute: God is LOVE (1 John 4:8) Praise be to God!

  I read this today (and prayed it too!) on commonprayer.net: "Holy One, so often we claim to see but prefer our blindness. Send us teachers and saints whose lives speak loudly of faith and perseverance to guide us when we unknowingly stray from wisdom’s course. Help us to find the Way, the Truth, and the Life in this world of shortcuts, deception, and death. Amen." Photo by Michel Stockman on Unsplash